November 18, 2015

A growing list of U.S. governors is putting the kibosh on Syrian refugees entering their states. While the legality of their refusal is shaky at best, refugees don't have to wait for them to have a change of heart. A letter to President Barack Obama from 18 U.S. mayors announced the mayors' intentions to open their cities' doors to Syrian refugees. 

The mayors applauded the president's decision to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees this year, and said they are willing to take "thousands more" into their cities. 

The mayors, all part of the Cities United for Immigration Action coalition, wrote: 

We will welcome the Syrian families to make homes and new lives in our cities. Indeed, we are writing to say that we stand ready to work with your Administration to do much more and to urge you to increase still further the number of Syrian refugees the United States will accept for resettlement.

The coalition members wrote that the United States is "in a position to lead a global narrative of inclusion and support." That inclusion, the mayors argued, is vital to the fabric of city life.

Read more here.